The Final Farewell

About

"The Final Farewell" is a narrative adventure game where you play as a ghost with no memory of your past. Explore the Whispering Woods, help lost mortals find their forgotten trinkets, and uncover the clues of your former life. Be wary of the misty Veil that erases memories and seek the light of campfires to stay alive. Can you discover your past and find peace?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 56 reviews

story18 positive mentions

character development2 negative mentions

The art style is beautiful and charming, creating a cozy atmosphere that complements the emotional themes of the game.
The narrative is heartfelt and touching, effectively addressing themes of grief and loss, which resonates with players.
Gameplay is simple and accessible, allowing players to focus on the story and emotional connections without being hindered by complex mechanics.

The game is very short, typically taking less than an hour to complete, which may leave some players wanting more content.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as the power-ups from ghosts, feel underutilized and do not significantly enhance the experience.
There are minor technical issues, such as companion ghosts getting stuck, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.

story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The game's story is described as simple yet deeply emotional, resonating particularly with players who can relate to its themes of grief and identity. It effectively integrates queer relationships and identities, making it relatable to a diverse audience. The storytelling is polished, featuring rich dialogue that enhances the experience, and the combination of beautiful art and music elevates the emotional impact, often leaving players moved to tears.
- “I was kindly gifted the game to play on stream for this year's queer indie games showcase and was pleasantly surprised to see how seamlessly queer relationships, identities, and people were integrated into the story.”
- “A beautiful little game about grief, simple gameplay and a story packed with heart.”
- “The art is beautiful, the soundtrack is soothing and the story will bring you to tears (in a good way!).”
- “There is a load of dialog, which you may find hard work to click through; some parts of it are important though, so be prepared to take in the little short story.”
- “The story is simple, but can definitely be emotional, especially if you relate to any of the stories.”
- “A beautiful little game about grief, simple gameplay, and a story packed with heart.”
emotional
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a poignant emotional experience through its simple yet touching narratives, often exploring themes of death, grief, and loss. Players are encouraged to approach the game with an open heart, as the heartfelt stories and character interactions can evoke strong feelings, sometimes leading to tears. Despite its short playtime, the game effectively weaves together meaningful moments that resonate deeply, making it a memorable journey for those emotionally prepared.
- “The final farewell is a heartfelt experience that is sure to leave you feeling… well… feelings.”
- “A heartfelt, wonderful experience that brought me to tears more than once.”
- “It's such a meaningful, emotional, and raw experience.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
58%
8%
The graphics of "The Final Farewell" are widely praised for their beautiful and cute art style, which creates a calming atmosphere that complements the game's emotional themes of grief and loss. The visuals, reminiscent of childhood scrapbook collages, enhance the narrative without detracting from its depth, making the experience both engaging and poignant. Overall, the artwork effectively balances whimsy with serious subject matter, contributing significantly to the game's impact.
- “The final farewell checked off a lot of boxes for me from the description alone: a cozy narrative game about grief and death, beautiful art style and coloring, and a lovely soundtrack.”
- “The art style is cute, but there's not much to grasp in the gameplay mechanics.”
- “The final farewell’s cute, bubbly art style is juxtaposed by its narrative’s themes of grief and loss.”
- “Every character is engaging and complex, and the art style is reminiscent of scrapbook collages from childhood, which adds to the overall themes of memory, loss, and redemption.”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
75%
11%
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity, making it accessible and easy to grasp, though some mechanics, like the companion ghosts, can be underutilized or hindered by environmental obstacles. Players appreciate the fun and engaging controls, alongside a heartfelt narrative about grief, despite occasional challenges that may require restarting levels. Overall, the game offers a charming experience with a unique mechanic of companion ghosts that adds personality to the journey.
- “What I appreciated most about this game is how simple everything was -- from the character designs to the gameplay itself -- and still managed to hit me with a powerful message about moving on from difficult and painful memories and how that ties into grief.”
- “The gameplay is fun and you'll get the hang of the controls quickly!”
- “The mechanic of the companion ghosts is really novel to me, and I like it a lot - they each provide a different sort of help to you as you look for the trinkets, and they have so much personality; especially considering you can play through to the end in around an hour.”
- “Mechanics-wise, I didn't find a lot of use for every ghost's skill, especially when they would get stuck on trees and just stay where they were stuck instead of catching up.”
- “The art style is cute, and there's not much to grasp in the gameplay mechanics.”
- “So this does make the gameplay a tad longer than I expected.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in "The Final Farewell" is widely praised for its soothing and evocative qualities, striking a balance between uplifting and melancholic tones that enhance the game's themes of grief and death. The combination of the beautiful hand-drawn art style and the atmospheric soundtrack, which includes elements like birdsong, creates an immersive experience that resonates emotionally with players. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that complements the game's narrative beautifully.
- “Seriously- the combination of the art (which reminds me of something hand drawn, cut out, layered with love) with this hopeful but kind of melancholy music, birdsong that really transports you into the game, it's just amazing.”
- “The art is beautiful, the soundtrack is soothing and the story will bring you to tears (in a good way!).”
- “No character is voiced, but the backing soundtrack is soothing and finds the middle ground between overly happy and too sombre.”
- “Seriously, the combination of the art (which reminds me of something hand drawn, cut out, layered with love) with this hopeful but kind of melancholy music, birdsong that really transports you into the game, it's just amazing.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Character development in the game is characterized by charming designs that effectively reflect the personalities of the characters, despite limited time spent with them. The simplicity of the game enhances its emotional impact, delivering a poignant message about coping with grief and moving on from painful memories.
- “The character designs were really cute and seemed to match nicely for the kind of personality they were intended to give off.”
- “The character designs were really cute and seemed to match nicely for the kind of personality they were intended to give off (though obviously we don't get too much, as we're not with each character long).”
- “What I appreciated most about this game is how simple everything was -- from the character designs to the gameplay itself -- and still managed to hit me with a powerful message about moving on from difficult and painful memories and how that ties into grief.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a super cute art style that contributes to a calming experience, complemented by smooth gameplay.
- “The art style is super cute, creating a very calming atmosphere and smooth gameplay.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate a low replayability value for the game, with multiple users expressing that it lacks incentives to play through again.
- “Replayability value: no.”
- “Replayability value: no.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The game performs surprisingly well on the Steam Deck, though it significantly drains the battery due to a lack of specific optimization for the device. While it runs smoothly without bugs, further optimization could enhance the portable experience considerably.
- “The game works surprisingly well on the Steam Deck, but it drained the battery much more than expected. This makes sense because the game is not optimized for the Deck. If the developers worked on that a bit, it could be a 10/10 portable experience.”
- “The game runs decently on the Steam Deck, but the battery drain is significant. It's clear that the game isn't optimized for this platform, and with some adjustments from the developers, it could greatly improve the portable experience.”
- “While the game functions on the Steam Deck, the lack of optimization leads to excessive battery drain. If the developers focused on optimizing it for this device, it could enhance the overall experience.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic commitment akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”